Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka
Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka is considered a "boy lolita" or "loli-shota"; basically, an older boy who likes cute things and, due to his diminutive size, is cute himself. Mitsukuni is a perennial optimist who loves sweets and small things. His babyish features and innocent approach to life make him appear to be more like an elementary school student instead of a 3rd year high school student, as well as the eldest of all the hosts. He is often seen riding on the shoulders of his best friend and cousin, Takashi Morinozuka, and is almost always carrying his stuffed rabbit, Usa-chan. Personality Although he appears dimwitted, Mitsukuni is actually very clever and is able to see that Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru have feelings for Haruhi. Despite his generally positive nature, he angers easily when awakened from slumber and since his blood type is AB, most of the hosts believe that he has a split personality (i.e. Dark/Nice Honey). As the eldest host in the club, Honey refers to his fellow hosts using the -chan honorific. He also serves as a mentor-figure for the hosts, especially Kaoru, and is eager to help others find their identity, just as Tamaki helped him find the courage to be his own true self. He is adoring of his stuffed bunny, Usa-chan, as it was made just for him by his now-deceased grandmother, and he harbors an insatiable appetite for sweets and cake, which he believes can solve or at least ease any problem. Mitsukuni is born under the star sign of Pisces, the Fishes. The positive traits of this sign are imagination, kindness, compassion, intuition, sensitivity and selflessness; the negative traits being escapism, idealism, a weak will, over-sensitivity, pessimism and indolence. Since he is born on the 29th of February 29, leap-day, Mitsukuni only celebrates his actual birthday once every four years, giving these qualities a lesser influence on his personality. Appearance Mitsukuni (aka Honey) posesses a babyish face and is short in height; his actual height is 148cm (4'11") but he grows to be 180cm (6') in a 2011 omake in Haruhi's dream. His hair is short and honey-blond in color (as opposed to Tamaki, whose hair is pale blond). When not in Ouran's school uniform, he tends to dress simply. He is normally seen with his cousin Takashi or his stuffed bunny Usa-Chan (aka Bun-Bun) by his side, and whenever he speaks, flowers float around his head; the only exceptions being when he is angry, upset or confused. Mitsukuni's rose color in the Host Club is pink. In Japanese culture, this signifies joy and trustworthiness; Mitsukini possesses both of these traits in quantity. In Western culture, the pink rose is a symbol of nurturing and affection; also traits which Mitsukuni demonstrates throughout the series. Family The Haninozuka family have excelled in martial arts for generations, to the point that all family members are martial arts champions. Upon greeting, it is tradition for family members to fight as a reminder to keep their guard up. It should be noted that height is not significant in the Haninozuka Martial Arts, as it is mentioned that, "There are more small people in the Haninozuka family than not." Mitsukuni is said to be the best martial arts champion in Japan, and his prowess is such that he has been instructed to never go all-out in a public fight. The reason given by Tamaki in the anime episode,"Chika's "Down with Honey" Declaration," is that if he ever fought all-out, he would be viewed as a secret weapon and thus, would risk Japan's good relations with the United States. Yasuchika "Chika" Haninozuka Yasuchika Haninozuka, affectionately nicknamed "Chika" in the anime, is Mitsukuni's younger brother and appears to be his polar opposite. In contrast to his elder brother, he is taller and has great loathing for sweets, cute things, and his sibling's love for them. When Chika openly accuses his brother of being an alien who uses Usa-chan to communicate with a "mother ship," he explains that this accusation stems from the fact that Mitsukuni eats three cakes for dessert every night and holds a weekly eat-all-you-want midnight cakefest, which confounds his brother as Mitsukuni never seems to gain weight. Over time, Chika is revealed to actually care deeply for his elder brother and holds great respect for his martial arts skills, though he still remains frustrated by his brother's loli-shota tendencies. Takashi Morinozuka Takashi and Mitsukuni are not only cousins, but best friends, whose close relationship is rivalled only by the Hitachiin twins. Mitsukuni is the only one who calls Takashi by his first name instead of his nickname, "Mori," and vice versa. Many generations before marriage united their families, the Morinozuka household served the Haninozuka household; and so despite the marriage, the two continue to be a team. Takashi is very protective of and loyal to Mitsukuni, and Mitsukuni seems to genuinely like and appreciate Takashi - he can be seen riding on his shoulders frequently, interacting with him constantly, and even ruffling his hair once in a while. They depend on each other as brothers do, Takashi serving as confidant and companion in place of Mitsukuni's natural brother who wants no part of him. Relationships Haruhi Fujioka Despite the fact that Mitsukuni's feelings towards Haruhi are never directly addressed, it is evident that his feelings are platonic, and not romantic. He finds Haruhi endearing, which demonstrates his love for all things cute (like his stuffed rabbit, Usa-chan) and he is the first person to reach out to her when she first encounters the Host Club, calling her "Haru-Chan" and extending an offer to eat cake with him. He is also the second person, (after Kyouya who knew all along) about Haruhi's true gender. His relationship with her is best described as a brother/sister-like one, as he can often be found helping Haruhi out in various scenarios, especially when it comes to understanding her own or other's feelings. Tamaki Suou Mitsukuni likes and cares about Tamaki very much, seeing as how when Tamaki first invited him to join the Host Club, he was the one to say that it was okay to like cute things and to eat cake if that is what he likes. The loli-boy, who had been wanting to embrace that part of himself for quite a while, is thankful and touched by Tamaki's acceptance of his true self, much like Takahi does. Mitsukuni is also the first to defend Tamaki against the Newpaper Club when they attempt to discredit Tamaki, believing that he's wielding his family's power over the rest of the Hosts. Mitsukuni says (paraphrasing), "Tama-chan would never do that. We all like Tamaki. That's why we're in the Host Club in the first place." Mitsukuni is thankful of Tamaki for showing what his "real strength" is, tobe yourself, so Mitsukuni stopped pretending to be manly like and joined the Host Club. Reiko Kanazuki Reiko Kanazuki is a manga-only character who develops romantic intentions towards Mitsukuni when she trips over Usa-chan and Mitsukuni offers his hand to help her up, thus displaying the first nice action any human being has done for her in a long time. As a member of the Black Magic Club, she becomes obsessed with casting spells to "capture his soul" since she believes that he's captured hers, and despite the loli-shota's initial misgivings, he realizes that her actions are attempts at communication in her own anti-social way. Mitsukuni explains that an easier way to "capture another's soul" is simply to talk to them; and that if she shared her likes and dislikes with others, they'd become closer to her. When Kanazuki begins to attend the Host Club, their relationship deepens and they discover one another's obsessions - Kanazuki's being black magic while Mitsukuni's is cake and small things. In an omake, they marry, making Mitsukuni the first Host to do so.